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Crazy Famous (2017)

Just how far would you go to get famous? For this guy, he does something extreme in this dark comedy from Paul Jarrett.

For all his life, Bob Marcus only looked for one thing: fame. However, his latest attempt, in which he jumped the fence at Camp David, lands him in a mental institution. Despite the lead doctor telling him that he should give up his dream, Bob finds himself determined. He meets Larry, an impulsive man who has a tendency to explode at random times. Larry introduces him to “Dr. Phil”, a patient who thinks he is the TV doctor.

Finally, there’s the very strange Smith, who spends his time scribbling on the walls and floors. He tells Bob that he knows where Al-Qaeda head Osama bin Laden is hiding. While everyone is convinced that bin Laden is dead, Smith knows otherwise and offers to prove it. Seeking this as an opportunity, Bob decides to go along with Smith’s plan and takes Larry and “Dr. Phil” with him. As these four successfully make their escape, they are about to go on a trip that they will never forget.

A meshing of the 1989 comedy The Dream Team with the conspiracy theory angle along with one man doing what it takes to become famous, this is a funny road trip comedy. Bob Farkas’ script has the core element of the 1989 film about four mental patients who get their free time. The only difference is that instead of a field trip, these four escape and go on a hunt by way of a conspiracy theory.

Gregory Lay’s Bob is the titular “crazy famous”, someone who will go to crazy extremes to get his fifteen minutes of fame. There is a reasoning behind Bob’s need to become famous and this is revealed in his first meeting with Ajay Naidu’s lead doctor at the mental institution. In a way, one can only feel bad for Bob, but if anyone ultimately will have to change his ways of thinking, it’s Bob himself.

The main supporting cast give Lay some great support. Victor Cruz, who has a resemblance to Jon Favreau, is hilarious as Larry, the patient with impulsive explosive disorder. Larry always tends to have it out with “Dr. Phil”, parodied quite well by David Neal Levin. Richard Short’s Smith tends to talk like a James Bond-style voice with his conspiracy theory approach, which drives the film and leads to the insane road trip. To give the film more of an intentional flair for comedy, Farkas actually brings the idea of a conspiracy in the film, with agents in the form of Alexander Cendese’s Agent Bilch and “big boss” Agent Mustang, played by Bob Jaffe.

Crazy Famous is a pretty funny meshing of The Dream Team, conspiracy theory, and a film about going to extremes to achieve your dreams. The cast, led by Gregory Lay, Richard Short, Victor Cruz, and David Neal Levin, drive the film with their roles of mental patients who attempt to prove the truth behind a conspiracy theory. The film’s 77-minute running time makes it smooth and easy to watch.